1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a multiple ground terminal assembly for vehicles and, more particularly, to a multiple ground terminal assembly for vehicles, in which a second ground part is additionally formed inside a ring-shaped first ground part so as to come into contact with a ground bolt, thus improving conductivity.
2. Background Art
FIG. 1A is a view showing a typical ground terminal assembly 1 for vehicles.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the ground terminal 11 of the ground terminal assembly 1 preferably includes a ring-shaped first ground part 11a, the center portion of which is perforated. Hooks 11b and 11c are formed to be bent inwards at the outer circumferential surface of the first ground part 11a and to preferably face each other. The above-described hooks 11b and 11c function to suitably connect the ground terminal 11 to another ground terminal.
As shown in FIG. 1C, the ground terminal unit 10 of the ground terminal assembly 1 is formed by layering a plurality of ground terminals 11, each having a ring-shaped first ground part 11a, so that they are in surface contact with each other. The ground terminal unit 10, which is formed by layering the ground terminals 11, the central portions of which are perforated, are fastened to a vehicle body 30 using a ground bolt. The ground terminal, which is located at the uppermost end of the ground terminal unit 10, is locked to the head part 21 of the ground bolt. A body 22, which extends from the above-described head part 21, passes through the central perforated portion to thus fasten the ground terminal unit 10 to the vehicle body 30.
The flow of current in the conventional ground terminal assembly for vehicles is described with reference to FIG. 2 below.
The current, which is supplied by a battery 40, flows through each of the ground terminals 11, which are layered and thus in surface contact with each other, by which the ground terminal unit 10 is formed. The ground terminals 11 are in surface contact with each other, so that the supplied current can be transmitted to the head part 21 of the ground bolt via the ground terminals 11 even though the ground terminals 11 are not in direct contact with the head part 21 of the ground bolt. The current that is applied to the head part 21 flows to the vehicle body 30 via the body 22 of the ground bolt.
In the conventional ground terminal assembly for vehicles, for example as described above, the conductivity of the ground terminal unit 10 is lowered when foreign materials are caught then accumulate between the ground terminals 11, which are layered to be in surface contact with each other, due to the continuous use thereof and, accordingly, non-conducting material layers from the foreign materials the are caught and accumulated are formed therebetween.
The above information disclosed in this the Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.